


Shattering The Mask

by ParadoxProphet



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Mastermind, Mastermind Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-11 10:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3324542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParadoxProphet/pseuds/ParadoxProphet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kiyondo Ishida has listened to his brother his whole life, but he wants to change that. However, an unexpected player in the School Life of Mutual Killing forces him into playing the role of Kiyotaka Ishimaru. All he can do is keep those he cares about from breaking the rules or getting killed, unfortunately that's a lot harder than it sounds...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_"Ah, there you are, brother! Can you believe it? Our plan is about to begin! Isn't it just wonderful?"_

_"...I want out."_

_"Hm? What's that now? I must have misheard your mumbling there, because it sounded like you said something about wanting out!"_

_"You heard me loud and clear. I'm done with this. I'm not helping you any further in this sick game!"_

_"You want out? But we've already come so far, brother. It'd be crazy to stop now."_

_"The only one who's crazy here is you. I didn't sign up for this shit! This is too far, even for you! So I'm done! You can carry this out on your own!"_

_"What a pity. I had the perfect role in mind for you too. But I can't stop you. Your stubbornness is quite a disgusting trait after all."_

_"Open the gates to the school, I'm not staying in here with you."_

_"Oh, I don't think you'll want to be leaving though, brother! You see, it appears we have an unexpected player in the game!"_

_"An unexpected player? What does that have to do with me?_

_"So I guess you don't care about what happens to a certain little rabbit?"_

_"...You're lying."_

_"My dear, pathetic brother, have I ever lied to you? I am very serious when I say that your sweet rabbit is trapped in the school with our classmates. It seems she didn't vanish with the rest of her class! And now she's trapped in here with us! Which means that she gets to play the game! Isn't that exciting?"_

_"If you do anything to her-"_

_"Oh come now brother, are you that much of an idiot? I won't do anything to her, so long as you follow my orders!"_

_"She isn't involved in this!"_

_"She is now, brother. She's already with the others about to lose their memories. And if you don't follow my orders, well, let's just say I've never tasted cooked rabbit before. So you better do exactly as I say, got it?"_

_"...........What do I have to do?"_

Ishida ran over the memory in his mind as he stood in the entrance hall. It was only twelve hours ago, but it felt like ages had passed. He should've expected his scumbag brother to pull something like this. Now he stood here, wearing his brother's old school uniform and with dyed hair, waiting for one of the fifteen others to walk through the doors. He shouldn't be here, he should be free in the outside world with her. Protecting her wouldn't be an issue, he was a Super High School Level Soldier after all. He had never been touched in battle. But no, instead he was locked in here with amnesiac classmates and the one person who shouldn't be here.

The sound of the doors opening snaps him out of his thoughts. This was it. He had to play the part. He wasn't Kiyondo Ishida anymore, he had to be Kiyotaka Ishimaru. He turned to face them, ready to greet him or her in the way he was instructed to.

A girl with dark brown hair, a red and black school uniform, and a magenta scarf was standing in the doorway to the entrance hall and the hallways. She let out a sigh of relief upon seeing him there. "Oh thank goodness, I was afraid that I was the only one here!" she said. "I was told to come here by that strange note, but I didn't see anyone on my way here so I was getting worried."

Of course she was the first one to walk in here. Just his luck. He tried to shrug it off, he had to act like him now, she doesn't know who he is, he can't hesitate.

"I did not see anyone either!" he said. "However, I am certain that we will be joined by the others shortly! That note mentioned that all the new students would need to arrive after all!"

"I guess you're right." she said. "But the fact that no one was here when I walked through just made me worried."

"I am certain there's nothing you need to worry about!" he said, reminding himself not to say her name. They weren't supposed to know each other. But he couldn't stop himself from saying what he hoped would comfort her.

She smiled. "I guess you're right." she said. "It's probably nothing. Oh, where are my manners!" She bowed. "I'm Shizuka Matsuki, Super High School Level Painter! It's nice to meet you!" He knows that, she told him the first time they met and he made an effort not to forget that.

"I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Super High School Level Hall Monitor!" he said, trying not to cringe from how wrong that sounded when he said it. He was Kiyondo Ishida, Super High School Level Soldier. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Matsuki-kun!"

She smiles again, and it hurts. He has to deceive her because she didn't leave. He has to tell her things will be okay when he knows they won't be. She's not safe here.

"So when will the others come?" she asked, staring at the doors she came through.

"I cannot say for sure!" he said. "But I have a feeling that they'll be here soon!"

Matsuki stares at him for a moment. "Ishimaru-kun, have we met before? There's something about you that feels...familiar."

Yes we've met, we're friends and you have to leave this place! He wants to shout that but he knows what'll happen if he doesn't. So he lies. "I'm sorry, but this is our first time meeting! I would recall if we've met before!"

"Oh, sorry. I guess I mixed you up with someone else." she said. He knows she didn't. Her memories may be gone, but there must be a part of her mind trying to make her remember. It's not working though.

"There's no need to apologize!" he said. "It was a simple mistake and could happen to anyone!"

"...I hope the others get here soon..." she said.

As luck would have it, more people start walking in. One by one, Ishida's classmates enter and introduce themselves to each other. He keeps a distance from the others after he introduces himself, partly to avoid saying something he shouldn't and partly to keep up the Ishimaru ruse. He wasn't the best at making friends anyway. Naegi comes in last, slightly late at that so he has to chew him out for it. The final introductions are made, and that's when the monitor turns on. His brother's game begins.

\-------------------------------

They're all standing in the gym, and before Ishida knows it there's a black and white bear sitting on the podium. He still couldn't believe that _this_ is what his brother chose to represent himself. "Eh? A teddy bear?" Chihiro Fukisaki asked.

"Hey, I'm not a toy! I'm Monokuma!" The bear responded. Some students jumped upon hearing him talk. "I’m your... I mean this school’s... headmaster, see!! Nice to meet you all!!" His carefree voice nothing like that of the brother Ishida knew.

"Uwaaaaa! That toy just talked!!!" Yamada screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Calm down! It probably has a speaker installed somewhere!" Ishida said, trying to act surprised even though he knew about this.

"Didn’t you hear me? I’m not a toy... I'm Monokuma! Furthermore, your headmaster!" Monokuma shouted at their faces as he raised his arms and bared his teeth.

"Uwaaaa! It moved!!!" Hifumi Yamada screamed again.

"How is that possible?" Matsuki asked, her hands shaking. "Bears don't talk, stuffed or otherwise!"

"Just calm down already, will you?" Mondo said with clenched teeth. "There’s someone moving it by remote control..."

"Hey, don’t make it sound like I’m some kind of a controlled children toys. You’ll sink my feelings deeper than the Mariana Trench..." Monokuma said. His head hung low in shame. The students didn't want to believe it was true, it was only a stuffed animal, right? But Monokuma would make sure to convince them otherwise. "There’s a control system inside me that can make NASA green with envy. So I can’t bear letting you say such dream-destroying hurtful things!!"

"'Bear'? Hasn’t that been done to death already?" Celestia Ludenburg, or rather Taeko Yasuhiro, asked in shock. Ishida couldn't believe it, was his brother really resorting to bear puns? He expected better than that from him.

"Well, we should be moving on. Let’s begin the proceedings, shall we?" Monokuma said, completely ignoring Celes and acting like a teacher.

"And now he’s breaking character..." Junko Enoshima scoffed.

"Please quiet down... Ehh-- well, well." Monokuma attempted to continue.

"It appears he gave up." Sakura Oogami said.

"Stand! Bow! Good morning, you bastards!" Monokuma said, ignoring the peanut gallery.

"Good morning!" Ishida said, bowing as Monokuma instructed. He felt foolish, but his pride would have to be sacrificed for the sake of his friends.

"You...don’t have to reply..." Touko Fukawa said. Ishida ignored her.

"Well then. I’d like to begin an opening ceremony you'll remember for life!" Monokuma said. And then of course he revealed the truth. They were all trapped here for the rest of their lives, shut off from the outside world. They didn't want to believe it of course. It had to be a joke! But as Ishida knew fully well, it was anything but. His brother wanted to keep order in the world, and this was his way of doing it.

And then of course, came the explanation of "graduation". If someone could successfully murder another student without getting found out, they could leave. No one wanted to buy it for a second. He stood there, watching his fellow students react to this rule. Byakuya Togami just smirked, finding something interesting about this rule. Fukawa's eyes darted around the room from one person to another. She was suspecting people already. And then he happened to look at Matsuki, who had barely spoken throughout Monokuma's explanations. She was shivering, hands around her arms, as she looked down to the floor. Why didn't she leave when she had the chance? She didn't deserve any of this. He walked over to her, likely on instinct, and put a hand on her shoulder.

She turned to face him, looking like she was about to cry. She didn't say a word, but the look in her eyes said everything he needed to know. "This isn't happening is it? He doesn't expect us to truly kill each other, right? I don't want to die in here." He wanted to reassure her, but he could only lie so much. He wasn't so cruel to say that this was a lie. He just stepped closer to her in the hopes that it would help.

"I’ve had it. Get the fuck out of my way..." Ishida and Matsuki looked away to see Mondo Oowada storming towards Monokuma. Hopefully he wasn't about to do something irrational. Mondo was the only other friend Ishida had managed to make before all this happened. He wouldn't know what to do if he lost him either. "You fucker, You better apologize right now! The time for pranks is fucking over!" he shouted at Monokuma.

"Prank..? Are you referring to your hairstyle?" The bear retorted.

That was the last straw. The biker grabbed Monokuma off the ground and held him up, letting the bear flail his arms around helplessly. Or so the biker thought. Ishida knew better then that. Violence against the headmaster was forbidden, punishable by execution. Mondo just made a horrible mistake. He wanted to warn him about the danger, but kept silent. His brother would surely punish him if he spoke out of turn. Mondo continued to threaten Monokuma, until the bear went silent and started beeping loudly.

"It’s dangerous! Toss it!" Kyouko Kirigiri shouted, to the confusion of the biker. "Just do it!" Without a moment to lose, Mondo threw Monokuma up into the air as it exploded. The smell of ash seeped through the room. The others thought it was over, thought that the explosion ended Monokuma, but of course it didn't. There were hundreds of copies to spare. And as if on cue, a new one came in it's place. Thankfully, Monokuma decided to let the incident go and treated it as a warning. But stated that next time someone broke the rules, he wouldn't go easy on them. A statement Ishida knew was serious. After handing out the "e-Handbooks", Monokuma disappeared, leaving the sixteen of them to think over what they witnessed.

"H...hey, everyone... How would you define what happened here now?" Ishida was the one to break the silence.

"What happened... It simply can't be real!" Matsuki said, holding her head in her hands as she tried not to cry.

"I have absolutely no idea what’s going on here..." Leon Kuwata added, sweat trailing down his face.

"L...l...live here forever? K...kill...?" Fukawa stammered as she scratched her head. "What the hell...? What’s going on!?"

"Everyone, keep calm." Kirigiri, the only person who was still calm, instructed. How she could have no reaction to all this baffled Ishida. No one wanted to believe that Monokuma was serious about all this, that is until Togami spoke.

"The problem isn’t whether it’s a lie or not. The problem is...if there’s someone among us who takes it seriously." The heir stated, also acting calm. Those words seemed to wake the others up, as they all began to look around the room nervously staring at one another. Words from Ishida's prior conversation with his brother rang through his mind, causing him to stare at Matsuki. The girl had tears streaming down her face, no longer able to hold them back. Worry coursed through him. He didn't have to worry about Mondo so much, while he tended to jump to violence he could certainly handle and protect himself. But Matsuki was helpless, she couldn't kill anyone if she tried. If he was going to keep her safe, he needed to stay close to her. He decided that now.

\---------------------------------

_"That's more like it! I knew you'd listen to reason! It's simple, all you have to do is pose as myself!"_

_"Why? Can't I just act like myself?"_

_"Your stupidity is charming in most cases, but here's it just pathetic. Most of our classmates will immediately be suspicious of a soldier in a killing game, but would they suspect a hall monitor? Of course not! So by posing as myself, no one will guess that you're working with me in this delightful plan!"_

_"...If I do this, you have to promise me something."_

_"And what conditions does my pathetic brother want?"_

_"If I do as you say, then you leave her alone. You don't target her with any of those motives, you don't urge anyone to kill her, you don't urge her to kill, none of it. She has to stay safe."_

_"Well, I suppose that's negotiable. However, if she's found guilty of murder I have to punish her. And if someone decides to kill her of their own free will, I can't protect her. And if she breaks the rules of this game, I'll have to punish her. So long as she follows my rules and doesn't act as an obvious target, she won't be harmed. But only if you do as I say. You decide to be a rebel and all bets are off!"_

_"One other thing. If for whatever reason I'm killed or executed for murder, these terms still apply. If I've been following your orders up to that point, she can't be targeted."_

_"Oh, very well. I guess that's reasonable. Are there any other ridiculous conditions you want to assign? Once you agree to this, then you can't change the rules."_

_"No, that's it."_

_"Wonderful! I knew you wouldn't disobey your beloved brother! I've put my old clothes in your room, along with large amounts of black hair dye! This game could go on for ages, and that ugly white hair will make people suspicious of you. You'll also find a little script, I highly doubt your acting skills and want to make sure you play the part correctly. Once I'm done erasing all our classmates precious memories, report to the entrance hall! Everyone's been instructed to report there by eight o'clock sharp! Don't disappoint me, Kiyondo."_

_"I won't_ Kiyotaka _. You can be certain of that."_

_"Just think of it this way! If they all decide to stay here for their entire lives, then you and your pathetic little rabbit can live happily ever after together! That is what you want, isn't it?"_

_"Shut up, brother."_


	2. Exploration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came out too long on accident. Oh well.

_"Ishida-kun, are we going to die here?"_

_The boy looked beside him, staring at the girl who looked as if she was about to start crying. "Don't be ridiculous, Usagi-chan. We'll make it through this, just you wait and see."_

_"I don't know, what if those Super High School Level Order weirdos are in the school with us?"_

_"I can fight them off. I'm a soldier, remember? I haven't been scratched in a fight!"_

_The girl looked down, pulling her legs in closer. "But even then, we're stuck in this school for who knows how long. And my father, he might be dead out there. All Kirigiri-sensei told me was that he's missing. My classmates are getting worried, and so am I!"_

_He pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her. "Shizuka-chan, just trust in me. I promise, I'll get us through this. You, me, Oowada, we're all getting out of here to someplace safe. I promise!"_

_She could only blink in shock. She smiled and rested her head against his chest. "Thank you, Ishida-kun..."_

_He blushed and looked away before leaning his head on her own. "You're welcome, Usagi-chan..."_

\-----------------------------------------

A heavy atmosphere hung over the room as the sixteen students stared at each other. The students were completely silent, no one knew what to say. Not even Ishida. "So what do you think we should do now?" Kirigiri's voice pierced through the heavy atmosphere, grabbing everyone's attention. "Should we just continue to scowl at each other forever?" Her words were harsh, but it brought people back to reality. Ishida himself included.

"That's right. Of course, you're right." he said, remembering the words his brother had left behind for him. "In times of fear and anxiety, one must continue moving forward! How could I forget such a simple thing? I'm despicable. I'll never forgive myself!" He forced tears to form, trying to act like his brother in the best way possible. "Anyone, please hit me! I deserve it! Please, anyone!"

"If you have time to make so much noise, do it yourself." Mondo scoffed. Ishida tried not to take his words seriously. The biker didn't remember their friendship, or knew that he wasn't who he claimed to be. It was all just because of the circumstances. He felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Matsuki standing there.

"Oowada-san, please! This is hardly the time or place!" she said, a confidence in her voice Ishida had rarely seen in her before. She turned to Ishida and smiled. "Don't listen to him, Ishimaru-kun. We all make mistakes sometimes. No one needs to hit you." Ishida couldn't help but smile, her kindness is what made her so wonderful.

"But speaking concretely, what exactly is our mission?" Yamada asked.

"Are you an idiot?" Leon asked. "We should totally look for a way to escape!" If only it was so easy. They had sealed the building themselves after all. There was no way in or out. The now deceased Jin Kirigiri made sure of that. The only way anyone would be leaving is if they played by Kiyotaka's rules.

"And while we’re at it, we should find whoever is controlling that stuffed toy and give him a good beating!" Junko said, her face going red in anger. Did she completely ignore the rule about not harming the headmaster?! Ishida knew that Junko was a troublesome one, but this was beyond that. She'd be dead before the first murder at this rate! Though he wouldn't lie, he'd have loved to see his brother get socked in the face. He tried not to laugh from the thought.

"Before we do that, shouldn’t we take a look at that e-Handbook?" Chihiro asked, his voice so soft that it was hard to hear him. "Monokuma mentioned some rules, and it’s probably best to check them before doing anything..."

Celes smirked with a tilt of her head. "It would be a bother if we go on acting without knowing the rules, and end up in an explosive situation like before." She appeared to glance over at Mondo, not even bothering to mask who she was referring to. Mondo just looked away and muttered to himself.

"So, let’s just get it over with and check what those rules are all about..." Junko said. Everyone pulled out their e-Handbooks and looked over the rules. Ishida did so as well both to keep up the ruse and to remind himself of what he couldn't do. He may have hated it, but he had to follow the rules like a good soldier. Otherwise both he and the ones he cared for would be as good as dead. His name, or rather his brother's name, flashed on the screen before he selected the rules.

10 pm to 7 am was Night Time and certain places couldn't be entered, sleeping was only permitted in the dorm rooms, investigating the school was allowed, violence against Monokuma was not allowed, a culprit would be allowed to graduate if they could get away with murder, additional rules would be added if needed. It all seemed simple enough. Or at least he felt they were. The others on the other hand...

"What the fuck's going on with these rules? Do they really think they can control us this way?" Mondo shouted. Of course he'd be the one to object. Ishida expected no less.

"If you think they can’t, how about you try going around ignoring them?" Celes said with a sly grin and a giggle. "I’d really like to know what happens when someone breaks them, you see..." The girl had no care for life other than her own, at least as far as she could remember. If she still had her memory she'd never say such things.

Matsuki gasped. "Celes-san, how could you say such a thing?!" she said.

"If he tries anything, Oowada Mondo-dono’s number of remaining lives will drop to zero..." Yamada said. Ishida held his tongue, he wanted to help but as it was Mondo would never accept it.

Mondo stood there in silence, realization hitting him in the face. "Ever since I was a little kid, I was taught discipline by my big brother." he said. "You must keep a 'man’s promise' even at the cost of your own life." A man's promise... Ishida had broken his a long time ago... He held his head low upon hearing those words.

"Ishimaru-kun? What's wrong?" Matsuki was by his side again, looking at him with worry.

He couldn't say anything, he had to hide it. "It is nothing. I am merely trying to come to terms with our situation." he said, hoping she'd believe the lie.

"I get what you mean, this whole thing feels like a nightmare." Matsuki said. looking down at the floor. "But I keep pinching myself and won't wake up."

"I'm sure we'll find a way out of this, I know it." Ishida said with a smile.

"Excuse me... Can I say something?" Sayaka Maizono's voice alerted the two and made their heads turn. "This sixth rule...what do you think it means?" Ishida looked back at the e-Handbook and double-checked the rule. Ah yes, the one about the culprit not letting anyone else know of their crime. They didn't know about the class trial yet.

"Are you talking about the second part, about 'not letting any other student know'?" Makoto Naegi asked.

Togami turned away. "...It probably means if you want to graduate, you must kill without anyone finding out." he said.

"W...why? What’s going on here?" Fukawa asked, her body beginning to shake.

"You don’t have to worry about it." Togami said with that cold voice of his. "Just make sure you keep the rules you were given. That’s the only thing you all have to remember. You’re all a bunch of losers who can’t do anything that’s not decided for you by someone else. So don’t ask needless questions." If there was one thing Ishida would agree with his brother upon, it was how Togami was conceited and colder than Celes. Even if he wanted no part in this, he wouldn't mind seeing Togami get what he deserved. Even before the memory loss, Togami had been very unpleasant. He only ever cared about one other person besides himself. Just what did Fukawa see in him anyway?

"...Such moving words." Fukawa said with a smirk on her face and blush lining her cheeks.

"...For the time being, let’s just drop all this foolish talk about killing." Aoi Asahina said. "We all know the rules now, so let’s go and search the school!"

"Asahina-san is right. We can't sit around and do nothing." Matsuki spoke up. "We should at least find out where we are and figure things out from there."

"Where are we? Is there an emergency exit somewhere? What about food and essential goods?" Ishida said. He had to act clueless, one wrong move and his identity would be questioned. He had to try and act like a leader. "There is a mountain of things we must find us ahead of us!"

"Alright, everyone -- let’s go exploring!!" Leon shouted with his fists in the air.

"...I’m going alone." Togami said, making his way towards the door. No surprise there. He never wanted to work with others if he could avoid it. The others wouldn't take kindly to that.

"Huh? Why? Isn’t that really strange?" Junko asked, her arms crossed. Just as expected. Junko always had fire in her eyes, so she'd be the one to object to Togami's behavior.

"I’m sure there’s at least one of you who’s already scheming about killing someone..." Togami said, pausing to look back at the fashionista. "Are you saying I should cooperate with someone like that?"

"Hey, wait a minute! You can’t say that!" Matsuki said.

"You can’t be certain I’m wrong, can you?" Togami asked, looking Matsuki straight in the face. "And that’s exactly why you all got so scared once you heard about the graduation rule. Am I wrong?"

Matsuki looked away at the floor in an attempt to back away. She looked so small and helpless, almost like Chihiro. Ishida wished he could deck him in the face. "T...that is..." she tried to say, but her confidence was so low that she didn't bother to speak up. She stepped away and rubbed her arm with her shoulder.

"I’ll let the rest of you do as you please." Togami said with a smirk. He turned again in an attempt to walk away.

"You bastard...you think we’ll just let you do whatever you want?" Mondo said as he cracked his knuckles, standing in Togami's way. Ishida didn't know why he was so willing to hurt the heir. Was he sick of his smugness? Was he angry at the way he treated Matsuki (he did remember Mondo's code of chivalry)? Or was it just the stress and Togami was the nearest target? He might never know. Whatever the reason, his anger got the attention of the heir.

"Get out of my way, plankton." Togami said. This wouldn't end well.

"Ahhh!? What do you mean by that!?" Mondo asked, close to snapping.

"A single plankton drifting in the ocean. It doesn’t matter what you do, yours is a tiny existence that has no effect on the vast sea around you." Togami stated, an air of smugness in his words.

"Are you trying to make me kill you?!" Mondo asked through gritted teeth. His fists were clenched. No, he couldn't!

"H...hey, wait! We shouldn’t fight!!" Naegi said, rushing in between the two of them. Thank goodness for the luck student's kindness and good nature. But it wasn't over just yet.

"Eh? What the fuck? Are you trying to be all nice with us?" Mondo asked, his face red from anger. "I’m going to teach that kid a lesson. Are you going to stop me!?"

"N...no, that’s not what I meant..." Naegi said, holding his hands up in defense. He probably ended up making a big mistake.

"Shut the fuck up!!" Mondo shouted, and before anyone could react he had punched Naegi so hard the boy was knocked out. He fell down on the floor, unmoving.

"Oowada-kun! Violence against a fellow student is prohibited!" Ishida shouted. "You should not be resorting to such violent methods!"

"You know, this ain't the time to be lecturing me on that!" Mondo said, slight panic in his voice.

Sayaka ran up to Naegi and picked him up off the floor. "I'll take care of Naegi-kun for now." she said. "Why don't we all just split up and meet in the dining hall later? That way we can share what we find here."

"An excellent idea, Maizono-kun!" Ishida said. "We shall reconvene in the dining hall at seven pm!"

"In that case, I'll meet up with you all later!" Sayaka smiled. Carrying Naegi in her arms, she walked out of the gym.

"I hope Naegi will be alright." Asahina said. Of course she was the first one to be worried about Naegi. "It looked like Oowada messed him up pretty badly." Mondo scowled and looked away.

"It didn't look like he was dead, so I'm sure Naegi-san will be fine." Matsuki walked up to the swimmer and placed a hand on her shoulder. "In the meantime, we should be looking around in search of a way out."

"Let us split up into groups then." Celes said. Before long, everyone was splitting up into groups. Togami and Kirigiri went on their own, no surprise there. While everyone else was about to get together in their own groups. Ishida figured it was best to go on his own, he could just wander around and buy his time. Or so he thought.

"Ishimaru-kun?" Standing by his side was Matsuki. "If you don't mind, do you think it would be okay if I went with you? I'm not sure I want to be going off with the others, especially since their groups are already so big...."

He couldn't say no to that face. "Of course you can, Matsuki-kun!" he said, making sure to smile so she didn't think he was only saying that to make her shut up. The girl was incredibly insecure. "It'd be a pleasure to have you accompany me!"

Matsuki's eyes went wide, a smile forming on her face. "Really? You don't mind?"

"Of course not! I'd prefer it if you accompanied me!" Ishida said. "After all, they say that strength is in numbers!"

Matsuki was relieved. "Thank you, Ishimaru-kun." she said. "I'll let you lead the way."

The two of them left the gym, and Ishida brought them to the dormitory area. They ran into Sayaka, and informed her of the situation. She told them that Naegi would be just fine, he simply needed some rest. It relieved Matsuki, and Ishida was glad as well. At least Mondo wouldn't have to face trial, especially since the crime was obvious. He didn't want to see a trial so early.

The two continued on their way, leaving Sayaka to take care of Naegi. She'd take good care of him for sure. They explored the rest of the dorm areas, finding that they each had their own rooms. Even Matsuki, the odd one out, had her own dorm room. Their things were already placed inside and ready for them to stay in. Ishimaru had planned things through to the letter, even with the extra student in mind. Ishida didn't know if he should be surprised or impressed that his brother had set everything up.

Time passed and 7 pm drew near. The two made their way to the dining hall, finding Sayaka and the conscious Naegi waiting there. "Naegi-kun and Maizono-kun! You two sure are early birds!" Ishida said with a smile. "It’s disappointing. I was sure I was going to be first... Is my fighting spirit...not yet up to the challenge!?"

"Don't worry Ishimaru-kun!" Matsuki said. "There's always next time!" She was trying her best to be a source of reassurance, even in this situation. It was so admirable.

"I won’t give up! Next time I will surely win!!" Ishida said. "Justice always wins in the end!" He wished he could believe that, but with his brother hanging over his head he simply couldn't.

"You’re making quite a scene!" Sayaka said with a laugh.

The others soon entered in their groups, and everyone gathered at a table to talk over what they discovered. Kirigiri hadn't arrived yet, and after talking it over everyone realized that no one had seen her during their discovery. But there was nothing that could be done, and they decided to continue their discussion. Sayaka informed Naegi of the situation at hand, telling him who had split up with who. One by one they each talked about what they had found.

Togami had been looking for leads on who had trapped them there, but had been unsuccessful. Ishida and Matsuki talked about their discovery of the dorms, Junko adding that her and Chihiro had found that they were soundproof and Celes mentioning how there was a shower in each room that had locked doors for the girls. Leon, Junko, Chihiro, and Yasuhiro Hagakure had checked all the metal plates in the hopes that one of them was loose, but there had been no luck. Asahina, Sakura, and Mondo had tried to find a way to contact with the outside world (it was no good, all communication had been severed before they lost their memories), and the biker and martial artist had tried to remove the bulkhead with no luck. Sakura had noticed the staircase leading to the upper floor, but hadn't found a way through. Celes, Yamada, and Fukawa had stayed in the gym, not doing much of anything. Sayaka investigated the dining hall while waiting for Naegi to wake up, learning that they didn't have to worry about running out of food thanks to Monokuma.

And as if on cue, Kirigiri finally showed up with the floor plans to the first floor of the school (where did she get that in the first place?). The fears that this place wasn't Hope's Peak Academy were put to rest, as it matched the building they were in perfectly. There was no way in or out, they were all trapped here. Nothing could be done about it. Though Hagakure was trying to fool himself into thinking the whole thing was some event the school was having (Ishida knew he wasn't the brightest in his class but this went beyond that). The atmosphere was broken by Celes giggling.

"Why are you giggling like that?!" Fukawa asked.

"Thank god. Splitting up and investigating the school was worth it after all." Celes said.

"Hey, did you even listen to everyone? We found absolutely nothing helpful!" Fukawa snapped, her hands shaking. "There's no way out and we have no clue about the culprit’s identity..."

"Oh? I think something became very clear as a result of our investigation." Celes stated. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the other students. That stare was one of the few things that made Ishida freak out. "The fact we are locked in a closed environment with nowhere to escape to is the confirmed, unavoidable truth." Her monotonous voice startled the other students. They hadn't wanted to believe it, but they had to accept it. But knowing his classmates, Ishida was certain there'd be a few who would try to deny it. A silence swept through the dining hall.

"D...don’t say it! Just as I was starting to forget it all..." Fukawa said, scratching her head in frustration. "Being locked in a place with no exit... What should we do?"

"It’s simple, isn’t it? If you want to get out of here all you have to do is kill." Togami sneered.

"This isn't a joke!" Junko shouted with puffed-up cheeks.

"Calm down, everyone!" Matsuki said.

"Yeah, let’s think calmly about what our next steps should be..." Sayaka said, coming to her side.

"I...can’t think of anything..." Leon said awkwardly.

"Adaptation. All we have to do is to adapt to our new lifestyle." Celes stated.

"Are you saying we have to accept living in this place?" Chihiro asked, looking like he was about to cry.

The dark stare returned to Celes' face. She nearly looked like she was possessed. "Knowing how to adapt is the difference between life and death." she said. "The ones who survive aren’t the strongest or the cleverest. They’re the ones who know how to adapt to change." Time would only tell if she survived. She grinned once again. "Based on that, I have a proposition for everyone."

"Ah? A proposition?" Mondo asked.

"Since we’re trapped in this place, it seems we have no choice but to pass the night here." Celes explained. "Do you all remember the rule about Night Time? I suggest we make one additional rule regarding this Night Time."

"One more rule?" Naegi asked.

"'Walking outside during Night Time is forbidden'. That’s it." Celes said, clearly pleased with herself. "The school rules don’t forbid us to walk around during Night Time, they just restrict the places we can enter." She proceeded to explain how Night Time would be the most dangerous, as anyone could try to kill each other while people were asleep, or the fear of such a thing happening would fall over everyone in due time. So to stop the paranoia, they should follow this rule. It wouldn't be enforced like the official rules, but they would need to agree to keep it. Everyone agreed, Ishida making his decision on behalf of the boys (which Leon objected to of course), and with that the gambler left the room. Perhaps she could adapt to this situation.

"What should we do, Mr. Chairman? We’re one person down." Junko said.

Ishida tried to think about what his brother would do in a situation like this. "Well, then. Let’s end the meeting at this point." he said, taking his time to think of a response. "Night Time will be here soon! We must all prepare for tomorrow!"

"Do we really have to sleep in this place?" Chihiro asked, the programmer shaking from the stress.

"There, there, Fujisaki-san. I doubt anything will happen tonight." Matsuki said. She just kept trying to reassure everyone, her heart was too big to be worrying about people she barely knew.

"But...this whole situation has me worried." Chihiro said. "Even if there isn't a murder, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep..."

"We have no choice. If we don’t sleep we’ll be too weak to do anything." Junko said. It was strange to see her so helpful, usually she had a "me against the world" kind of attitude. Perhaps their circumstances were affecting them in ways they didn't expect.

Mondo looked down at the floor. "It seems we must give up for today..." he said, finally calm.

"We may be done for today, but what are we going to do tomorrow?" Fukawa asked.

Sakura crossed her arms. "There is nothing to do but split up and continue exploring this building. Should anyone find something they can call the others to assist them."

"I guess so." Asahina agreed.

Junko let out a loud yawn. "So, I’ll see you later. I’m so tired..." she said, making her way out of the room. Everyone soon followed. And so Ishida's job truly began. He'd need to keep a close eye on his classmates and report all observations to Ishimaru, or rather Monokuma. He walked to the door to his room, standing there and staring at the nameplate that bore his twin's name. This was going to be hard to deal with.

"Is something wrong?" He snapped out of his thoughts to see Matsuki staring at him. "You're just staring there in front of your door. Did you lose the key or something?"

"Of course not! I am merely collecting my thoughts!" Ishida said. "There's nothing you need to concern yourself with!"

"Alright..." Matsuki said, slightly unconvinced as she looked at her feet. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yes, I shall see you in the morning!" Ishida responded.

Matsuki began to walk down the hall to her room, stopping halfway there. "Oh right, I almost forgot!" she said, turning to face Ishida. "Thank you for what you did earlier. I'm still worried about what'll happen to us in here, but I'm glad I have someone like you here. I hope we can be good friends."

It took everything he had to keep Ishida from blushing. "...As do I, Matsuki-kun." he said.

Matsuki smiled. "Good night, Ishimaru-kun." she said, walking to her dorm. Ishida just watched her leave. His resolve only strengthened. Matsuki and Mondo needed to get out of here. No matter what he had to do in order to get them out, he'd do it. At least without breaking his brother's rules.

\--------------------------------

_"What do you mean the 79th class just disappeared overnight?!"_

_Ishida stood outside the headmaster's office, overhearing the conversation. The 79th class was gone?_

_"The school is supposed to be locked up! Are you telling me that a class of seventeen just vanished into thin air?!"_

_"I don't know sir. But their rooms are empty and they're nowhere to be found on the school grounds."_

_"You've searched everywhere?"_

_"Yes sir, we've even asked your daughter to search and she can't find anything. I don't know what else to tell you."_

_"I'm supposed to be protecting these kids, but I can't even do that right. What kind of a headmaster am I?"_

_Ishida let out a sigh of relief, if the entirety or Class 79 was gone, that meant she'd be safe from what his brother had in store. But what would he do about Mondo? He needed to think about that. He walked away from the headmaster's office, heading to his room._

_"Actually sir, there is one student we managed to find."_

_"What? Really? Which student?"_

_"The Super High School Level Painter, Shizuka Matsuki."_

_"Oh thank goodness. At least she's alright. She'll be safe here in the school for sure."_


End file.
